Woodkirk Stone
NORWALK – Lillian August opened at The SoNo Collection mall, a year after her longtime flagship store in Norwalk was liquidated and, as the former owner, is still looking to raise $2.2 million after the furniture store abandoned its Stamford warehouse two years ago.
A sign for the Lillian August store is the first to greet drivers on West Avenue above a bank of empty windows at the mall. The store is located on the second level adjacent to one of Apple’s busiest mall stores.
The store opened more than two years after Lillian August was among the first retailers to commit to the SoNo collection in 2019.
While The SoNo Collection notes on its website the arrival of the new store, Lillian August had yet to post a major notice of the new store as of Monday on her own website or Facebook page.
Lillian August co-owner John Weiss could not be reached Monday for comment. The company did not respond to a message left on its SoNo Collection voicemail. Last June, Weiss registered a limited liability company with the state called SoNo Home Store which lists the address of The SoNo Collection in South Norwalk.
Lilian August closed its head office showroom last year on Knight Street in Norwalk in the middle of one of the best markets for furniture retailers in years, as Connecticut’s real estate market boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The previous year, Lillian August had moved out of a warehouse in the southern district of Stamford. Its landlord has since sued for non-payment of rent and other expenses, totaling $2.2 million, according to an affidavit filed this month in Connecticut Superior Court.
Lillian August asserts more than a dozen “special defenses” in court documents, including the forced closure of stores at the start of the pandemic should render the lease void and unenforceable.
Haier appliance manufacturer thereafter took a lease for space in the 49 John St. building, followed by subsidiary HermanKnoll Design Within Reach under a 10-year lease, according to court documents.
With monthly U.S. furniture sales reaching a record $10.5 billion in January 2020 before mass store closings to limit COVID transmission, sales have eclipsed this mark every month since August of this year. . In March, sales hit a new high of $12.86 billion, with inflation likely contributing.
Lillian August has kept her website active which allows people to shop online.
Developer and manager of the SoNo collection, Brookfield Properties, has attracted several furniture and decor brands to the mall, including ArhausArtee Home, EQ3 and H&M Home; and mattress retailers Casper and Tempur-pedic.
Other major retailers with showrooms on nearby Connecticut Avenue include Ashley HomeStoreBob’s Discount Furniture and Raymour & Flanigan.
And Safavieh has a big store in in the heart of South Norwalka few blocks from a former Lillian August outlet it was converted last year to MSquash. Other shops nearby include Lighting design by Chloé Winston.
Includes earlier reports by Paul Schott.
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